Shingeki no Kyojin: A Horse's Tale
by ArtemisNakajima
Summary: Hange gets extremely pissed off when Jean tries to sneak into their office and decides to get back at him for it. Minor Ereri/Riren, mostly JeanMarco.
1. Chapter 1

Snap!

"Shit!" Hange whispered, alarmed. They ran around the side of the men's dormitory, crouching as soon as they were out of sight. Hange breathed heavily and closed their eyes, listening for any sign of disturbance from inside the small wooden building. Relieved slightly when they didn't hear anyone come to the door, Hange stretched themselves to their full height and peeked through the window.

Their target lay on his side, his two-toned hair rustling as he shifted in his sleep. He then turned over, giving Hange a full view of his face.

-Oh, thank god he's asleep,- Hange thought, releasing a breath they hadn't known they'd been holding. They sunk back down, giggling manically at the sight of the vial in their hands. Hange's eyes glazed over, their glasses reflecting the dim moonlight in a way that would make anyone run for cover.

-Oh, Kirschtein, you really shouldn't have tried to break into my office,- they thought, bringing the vial up their nose and sniffing it. They recoiled, scrunching their nose in disgust.

"Damn, I hope the smell doesn't wake him up," Hange muttered to themself, scowling as they crept back around the side of the dormitory.

Hange peeked through the small window located beside the door, their smile growing when they were sure everyone was asleep. They then carefully removed a knife and hairpin from their pocket, slipping them both into the lock smoothly.

Hange bit their tongue with the effort as they carefully picked the lock, making as little sound as possible. They tried a multitude of angles, releasing a small breath of success into the still night air once the lock clicked open.

As soon as the door was open, Hange knew they would have to work fast. They pulled a small syringe out of the utility belt conveniently strapped at their waist, removing the cap and sucking some of the pale blue liquid up into the small glass tool.

Equipped with the syringe at the ready, Hange held it up beside them like a pistol and leaned carefully on the door. They winced as it creaked lightly, resting their left hand on the handle in preparation.

Hange was inside for less than a minute. They opened the door, immediately rushing the bunk that Jean slept in and covering his mouth with their left palm.

Jean shocked awake, bleary-eyed and barely conscious, but it didn't last long. As Hange injected the liquid into the large vein in his neck, Jean lost consciousness once again, falling back onto the bunk with a heavy (but thankfully quiet) sigh.

Hange then ran from the room, stowing the needle safely in their pack after replacing the cover. They closed the door quietly, immediately thankful that the sedative they'd mixed with the injection was fast acting.

As soon as Hange was out of earshot, they cackled loudly, tears reaching their eyes as they laughed uncontrollably.

"Oh—HAHAHAHA!-this—this is gonna be so great!" Hange giggled into the air, their eyes going wide as they fell to their knees.

Hange had more than enough time to get back to their dorm; it was three AM anyways. Plus, Hange had to be prepared. All there was to do now, however, was wait.

Wait for the fun to start.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

..oo00oo..

Jean woke to the sound of screaming throughout the dorm and he lifted his head, making a small sound of protest. Glancing around blearily, he tried to make out the faces of the people around him, blinking rapidly.

-what the fuck? -Jean thought. Well, he'd actually meant to say it aloud, but for some strange reason, his mouth wasn't working.

Well, it was, but it just wasn't making sounds the way he'd wanted it to.

Plus, it tasted like hay.

While Jean was busy exploring his mouth, trying to figure out if someone had force fed him something distasteful while he was sleeping (it wouldn't have been the first time), everyone else was still screaming.

Lifting his eyes, Jean glanced at the people around him, intent on asking what the problem was, but soon found he didn't have to. Everyone was staring at him, frightened looks on their faces as they held their arms out towards Jean in a 'warding-off' gesture.

"What the hell-" Armin muttered.

"Why-" This was Eren.

"Where is Jean?!"

Jean looked over at Marco, giving him one of the most ridiculous 'dude, I'm right here' looks possible. He tried to sit up, finding his body was bigger than he remembered.

"WOAH THERE BOY!" Marco shouted, walking towards Jean. He moved deliberately, but slowly, as though he was afraid Jean was going to attack him or something.

Which was ridiculous. Why would he hurt Marco?

Jean remained on his bed, looking everyone in the eye before attempting to stand up again.

Everyone went wild.

"NO! Someone stop him; he'll destroy the whole bunk!" Armin shouted, and Marco rushed towards Jean, reaching towards his face.

Then he started PETTING it.

"It's alright, boy. Calm down. How did you get in here anyway? Last I remember horses can't open doors," he said with a light laugh. He locked eyes with Jean, and endearing look in his eyes. As Marco petted his face, Jean found himself leaning into his touch, wondering if-

Wait. Jean wasn't a horse.

Or was he?

Jean's eyes went wide, and suddenly everything made sense. The questioning stares, Marco's curiosity over where Jean had gone, the drastic difference in his size.

Jean froze. After years of being teased and called horseface...

Now he actually had a horse's face.

Jean suddenly felt the urge to cry, shame filling his chest and spreading through his body. It didn't even matter that no one knew it was him; they would probably figure it out eventually. He hated that thought; especially if Marco figured it out.

Oh, he would never hear the end of this one.

Jean remained still on his bunk, shuffling into a more comfortable position before resting his head calmly on a wooden support beam. Marco patted his head reassuringly, turning away from him slowly and addressing the rest of the dormitory's inhabitants.

"So, whose horse is this?" Marco asked, tapping Jean's nose. Jean licked his hand and Marco turned around, surprised. Then he smiled brightly, rubbing Jean's muzzle happily.

"Not mine," Eren said, looking at the others.

"I don't even recognize him." Everyone nodded in assent, looking in wonder at the strange horse laying in Jean's bunk.

"Hey, maybe horseface actually turned into a horse!" Connie shouted, wrapping a hand around his waist and laughing maniacally. The others looked at him quizzically, then glanced at Jean, who raised his head fearfully.

-Oh no. This is where they figure it out...- Jean thought, bracing himself for the ridicule sure to come his way.

"Nah, that's impossible," Marco said, unconsciously saving Jean's ass. He let out a deep sigh, resting his head back on the wooden beam after licking Marco's hand again. He closed his eyes gently, intending on maybe going back to sleep now that that was out of the question, but then Marco spoke again. Jean pricked up his ears, looking towards the man expectantly.

"He does kinda look like him, doesn't he?" With that he laughed, the rest of the group joining in. Jean squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the onslaught of ridicule that would surely follow.

-Great, even Marco thinks I look like a fucking horse. Could this get any worse?-

"Hey! We should call him Jean then! When Jean gets back from... wherever he is, we can surprise him!" They all laughed again at this. Well, at least he would still be called by his actual name and not something stupid like Whirlaway or Seabiscuit. That was a plus.

The laughing in the dorm stopped suddenly and Jean looked up, unsure of the cause. He saw everyone glancing at the door uncomfortably and followed suit, his wide eyes widening even further at the sight that he was met with.

"Corporal!" everyone gasped in surprise, quickly following protocol and saluting him dutifully. He just glared at everyone, noting how everyone was crowded around Jean's bunk. Although he made no change to his face, Jean could tell he was frowning.

"What the hell is going on his here, you fucking brats? I had to leave my office for this, so it had better be interesting. Did Jean shit his bed or something?" Corporal Levi asked, his face completely serious. Jean felt his face burn, whether it was visible or not. He wanted to hide it under something, but there was nothing to hide under. Besides; it's not like anyone knew he was the horse.

Levi snickered when the soldiers parted and allowed Levi to see Jean, the left side of his lip twitching.

"So you found yourselves a horse. It kinda looks like Jean, eh? Where is that shit-head anyways?" Levi asked, turning around. The group looked at each other, concern filling their faces.

Well, at least they worried about him.

Levi had reached the door before anyone had answered, obviously not caring about the answer. However, when he reached the doorway, he stopped.

"Your horse was killed on the last mission, right Marco?" Levi braced his hand on the doorframe and glanced over his shoulder at Marco. He nodded the affirmative.

"Then take him. We don't need him otherwise." With that, Levi walked out the door, closing it behind him. Everyone went back to staring at each other, speechless, but Levi wasn't done.

The door sprung open again as Levi stepped back inside the door, his glare even more menacing.

"Oi, and Jager," he said. Eren looked up.

"Come to my office, now. We need to work on your flexibility, and I have some new tests for you," Levi said, his eyes giving nothing away about what he meant as he swished back out the door again. Eren blushed red, a horrified grimace on his face as he turned and ran after Levi.

"What was that?" Armin asked suddenly. Connie shrugged, completely ignoring what had just happened. He turned to Jean, placing his hands on his hips and screwing up his face in thought.

"Eh, doesn't matter. Anyways; we have bigger things to worry about right now." He gestured at Jean flippantly, turning to Marco.

"He's your horse, so it's time for you to step up here." Marco frowned confusedly. Connie sighed deeply, face-palming. Without even looking up, he gestured at Jean, palm face up and his body bent over slightly. His left hand rested on his hip defiantly.

"How the fuck are we gonna get that damn horse out of here?" The whole group collectively Ohhhhhhhhh-ed, nodding in assent at each other. Jean mentally rolled his eyes.

-They're stupider than I remember. Or, maybe I just never noticed it before...-

Marco, Connie, Eren, and Armin, along with Bertholdt and Reiner (who had just woken up and been filled in regarding the mysterious horse that had just appeared) looked expectantly at Jean, as though they thought he would answer them.

But he couldn't. Right now, he was just a dumb horse.

Marco crossed his arms, frowning slightly. He knew that without a little help on his end, they would never get him out of here.

-Well, you know what? Fuck it, - Jean thought, using his hooves to slide his upper body towards the end of the bed. Once there, he pressed his right hoof against the edge of the bed and dragged himself forwards, sliding diagonally off the bed and onto his front legs.

However, upon reaching this position, Jean suddenly realized he had no way to get down from there.

Subconsciously, Jean neighed in protest, bucking his head and smacking it against the bed above him. He whined painfully, looking over at Marco desperately, and in a flash he seemed to understand.

"Hey, everyone, help me! We need to get him out of there or he's going to collapse. Grab his front and help pull him out so we can get him off the bunk," Marco ordered the gang, and they didn't even try to protest, they just walked forwards and helped pull Jean off the bunk.

Jean internally smiled, stretching his legs one at a time and shaking his mane freely. Then he started walking towards Marco, intent on nuzzling his hand, when suddenly he was on the floor again. As he lay there, staring up at his snickering comrades, Jean realized something.

He didn't know how to walk.

Jean tried to stand again, finding it quite easy, but he just couldn't get used to the way he had to walk, or the way his knees bent backward. He struggled, desperately trying to walk, when he heard Bertholdt burst out laughing. The others followed; all except Marco, who just looked at him, a confused frown on his face.

-C'mon Jean! For Marco's sake!- He thought to himself, internally groaning in frustration.

"Oh—oh my god—M-Marco!" Bertholdt cackled, holding his stomach. "I'm s-so sorry for you!" He fell to his knees, laughing maniacally. Marco's frown deepened.

"Uh, okay. Why?" They all laughed even harder and Jean struggled to stay standing, his legs shaking violently beneath him.

"YOU HAVE THE DERPIEST HORSE I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!" he squeaked, pointing at Jean as he finally lost his balance again. Jean collapsed to the floor, looking up at Marco. Marco looked at him as well, and they shared a look of disappointment.

Uh oh. Jean didn't know how long this was going to last, but he was sure of one thing.

Based on the group's uncontrollable laughter and Marco's crestfallen gaze, he knew that it was going to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

With some help, Jean managed to make it out the door with Marco, the man resting his hand on his smooth back reassuringly. He led his horse down the three steps outside of the barracks, ignoring the fact that Jean barely made it down one before he collapsed and slid the rest of the way down.

The rest of the group came out onto the porch with Marco, standing in a semi-circle around him as he pressed his palm against his face.

"Alright, Jean. We have some work to do, don't we?" As he tilted his head up, his fingers ran down his face until they were pinched at the bridge of his nose. He sighed deeply, taking a deep breath before making his way off the porch and towards a scrambling Jean.

"Don't worry about them," said Marco, obviously talking to Jean. It didn't mean that he thought that Jean could understand him, per say; it was just to reassure him.

Jean wondered what Marco would think if he knew that the klutzy horse he was walking to the stable was actually his friend.

"You know, you kind of remind me of someone," Marco said, scratching the back of his neck as he laughed awkwardly. "Your namesake, actually." Marco shook his head.

"I must've really gone crazy. I'm talking to a HORSE just because he happens to remind me of my missing friend." Jean didn't think it was crazy, pressing his muzzle against Marco's hand reassuringly. "I hope he's okay..."

Jean's heart pounded in his chest at this and he bowed his head, still unsure as to how a blush would show up on his face. He smiled internally, walking calmly beside Marco. He placed his hand on Jean's back again, smiling sadly down at the horse.

The two walked in comfortable silence towards the stable, Jean glancing surreptitiously up at Marco every few seconds. He remarked internally at how pretty he looked in the moonlight; the way the light shined off his calm face, deep in thought. Jean sincerely wished he were human at that moment, wanting to hug Marco tightly and let him know that he was alright.

By the time they'd gotten to the stable, Jean had mostly gotten used to walking. His feet still slip-slided against the loose ground right outside, but he wasn't in danger of falling anymore. He watched calmly as Marco opened the door to the nearest empty stable stall. He yawned deeply.

"Damn... I can't believe Eren had to wake us up at four because of this... I'm so tired..." Marco's eyes drooped slightly, and he walked Jean into the stall. Jean turned, laying down on the floor at Marco's feet. He closed the stall, leaning heavily on the door.

"I hope Jean comes back in the morning. I miss him..." he muttered to Jean, scratching behind his horse's ears. He smiled and laughed as his horse sneezed, looking up at him embarrassedly.

"You know, I worry sometimes. He's just... he's kind of an airhead a lot of the time," he laughed at this, and Jean didn't even comprehend what he said. He was too busy staring, enraptured by the beauty of Marco's face when he laughed. Marco petted Jean's muzzle again, looking down at him.

"I mean, I wonder... I wonder if I'll ever actually get to tell him..." Jean's ears perked up, intent on hearing what Marco was going to say.

"Well, anyways, goodnight..." Marco turned around but Jean shot up, such an incredibly human-like gesture it made Marco frown and laugh awkwardly. Jean sat back down, giving him a 'please, go on' kind of look.

"Uhh..." Marco scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well, Jean and I met as trainees in the 104th. It was strange; the moment I saw him, I immediately wanted to know him. He was—is, just that kind of person." Marco huffed, resting his cheek on his left palm and leaning back against the door. Jean remembered that day well. He'd felt a similar interest towards Marco as well. However, unsure about it, he'd started to hit on Mikasa, trying to see if the strange feeling would go away.

It didn't.

"We started talking, and immediately, I liked him. He was fairly simple-minded, and his ideals were strange, but I feel like a lot of that has changed since then. We hit it off immediately, becoming fast friends." Marco frowned.

"But... there was something strange there as well. Like, something unspoken. I don't really know how to describe it. The way he would smile at me." Marco blushed.

"It made me all giddy inside. I'd never had someone smile at me like that before, you know? I was always seen as the useless, dumb kid back in my village, and people always treated me like shit. Jean was... different, and at first, I didn't want to admit how much I liked it," he said, yawning lightly again.

"I feel like that's probably why it hurt when he started flirting with Mikasa. His smile had made me feel special, but... what if that's just his way of being nice? What if he does it to everyone?" Marco sighed deeply, sadness filling his eyes. Jean's heart suddenly started to hurt in his chest, pounding lightly against his ribs.

"I don't know. I wanted to be his friend, but whenever I saw him smile, I would always tell myself that it meant nothing. That he didn't actually care. I think that's what made me try harder. I complimented him. Smiled at him. Hung around him a lot. Now that I think about it, it was kind of stalker-y..." he laughed, but there was no humor in it.

"And he would still smile. Treat me like a friend. As soon as I realized this, I started to wonder if maybe I didn't want to be his friend. Maybe I... maybe I wanted something more. I had gotten attached; I suppose I still am, actually, but that doesn't affect the way I feel about him." Marco stood, walking towards the barracks again.

"I hope he comes back. I don't know how I would feel if I died without him knowing how much I truly love him." He then disappeared into the darkness, leaving Jean alone in the stable with those last words ringing around in his head.

Jean's whole body shook, and strange tears formed in his eyes. His pounding heart ached, skipping beats and just generally annoying the hell out of him, but there was something comforting about it as well. Something... warm, happy. Jean didn't think he'd ever felt it before, but immediately decided he liked it.

It made him feel... whole. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Before Marco had spoken to him, Jean hadn't known how he felt. What this consistent pain was, why his chest ached around him. He didn't understand any of it.

Now it all made perfect sense.

Jean smiled internally, allowing the tears to fall down his cheeks.

He was... happy. So, incredibly happy.

And, in that dirty horse's stable, Jean had one of the craziest and most important epiphanies of his life.

The way he felt around Marco...

It was because he loved him.


	3. Chapter 3

Jean didn't sleep well that day. It had been about 4 when he'd woken up and been discovered as a horse, and although he got to sleep in later than the others, his realization successfully kept him awake for at least three extra hours.

Luckily, however, Jean was finally able to get some sleep. The sun rose in the east and the stables faced west, thankfully, so he was actually able to sleep without the sun glaring in his face. That was helpful.

The air was colder, for some strange reason, when Jean woke at nearly one in the afternoon, and he lifted his head carefully. The wind blew gently across his face, making him shiver. He then sat up, pressing the palm of his hand against the back of his head.

"Where am I-" he muttered groggily, scratching his head and yawning. He then felt his body shiver violently, the cold hitting him full force.

"Sh-shit..." He groaned through chattering teeth, wrapping his arms around himself and closing his eyes gently. He was almost completely naked, a pair of shorts the only thing on his body. They did nothing to keep out the cold.

Jean looked around him dazedly, trying to make out his surroundings, but he could barely see. His vision was really blurry, and his head hurt like a bitch, but he somehow managed to stand.

The wind hit his body even harder after Jean stood, the door no longer blocking the majority of the wind. He shivered intensely, goosebumps rising on his arms as his vision fully returned.

"Why... why am I in the STABLE? What kind of a fucking practical joke IS this?" Jean growled, a glare forming on his face as he glanced over towards the barracks. It was only about a quarter mile away; if he ran he could probably get there in about ten minutes. There WAS the problem of what he was going to do when he got there; he'd slept in WAY past the acceptable time, and he knew that Levi Heichou would be pissed.

"Fuck..." Jean said, squeezing his eyes shut and trying desperately to remember what had happened that morning. He felt there was something important that he needed to remember, but it just... he couldn't remember it at all.

Jean pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply before opening them determinedly.

"Okay... if I can run there without anyone noticing, maybe I can get my clothes and meet up with them. Then I'll have them explain why the fuck I was sleeping in the stable." Jean thought, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand.

Then, with the loud voices of Jean's comrades, his plans went to shit.

"Fuck!" Jean whispered, trying to see if there was a place he could hide in the stable, but there was nothing. It was emptier than any of the other stables around him, the only thing inside an enormous feed bucket and a large leather saddle hanging on the wall.

Desperately, Jean crouched behind the saddle, hoping no one would see him. He heard the group enter the stables loudly, chatting amongst themselves excitedly. Luckily, no-one noticed him, too distracted by their conversations and by the horses around them to notice the frightened Jean.

"Jean?" It was Marco, and Jean cursed quietly. He walked into the stable, crouching down before Jean and pressing his hand to his forehead. He could tell by the look on Jean's face that he didn't want to be seen, instead pretending to adjust the saddle. Jean smiled at him gratefully.

"Where have you been?" Marco whispered, and Jean frowned.

"I... I actually have no idea." Marco's face was close; too close. Jean's heart started to pump frantically, and he panted lightly, his face turning bright pink.

"Jean... a-are you okay?" Marco's face was pink as well, watching as Jean touched his cheeks gently and began frowning.

"Y-yeah... I think so..." Jean had no idea what was going on.

What HAPPENED last night?

"Hey Marco, what happened to your horse?" Marco turned slightly, putting his hands on his knees as he stood. He carefully stood with his legs together, hiding Jean behind him.

"I-I'm not sure. The lock was done when I got over here, so I thought that maybe..."

"The little shit ran away?" Levi deadpanned, raising his eyebrows lightly. "Do you actually think that is possible? That little fucker could barely walk." Marco looked down uncomfortably, pink dusting his cheeks.

"I... I don't know."

"Well, nothing to do now. It's probably been adopted by one of the surrounding villages now. Just... clean that shit-pile and go use Jean's horse. That little brat's been missing for almost ten hours now, and I'm pretty sure Hange has something to do with it. They couldn't stop cackling." Levi's expression didn't change, but Jean could see disdain fill his eyes. He turned quickly, walking through the group as the rest of the soldiers untied their horses.

Marco and Jean both tried to hide their surprise when Levi grabbed Eren's ass, whispering something in his ear that made him blush.

Well, that was apparently a thing...

Jean shook his head, his face torn in confusion. Marco didn't even stop, he just grabbed Jean by the arm and dragged him out behind the stable. He pressed him against the wall, looking left and right to make sure no one was there.

"How are we going to get you out of here?" Marco asked, his face mere inches from Jean's. Jean blushed, looking away and attempting to find his voice.

"Uh... I-I d-don't know..." He breathed, not looking at Jean.

"H-hey, Jean! I have no idea what to do! You're going to have to talk to me if you want to get out of here without being seen, especially in those suggestive shorts," Marco said, raising his eyebrows. Jean frowned, looking down.

Oh.

Oh.

Those were FAR shorter than he remembered them being.

The others started leaving the stable, their horses in tow. No one seemed to notice that Marco was missing, instead focused on not angering Levi and making it out to the practice field in time.

"Okay, they're going the other way. I'll go back around and grab your horse. If we move fast, I can ride you back to the barracks, and you can change. Then we can come back and hopefully not anger Levi that much..." Marco winced, looking away. He was risking a lot to help Jean, and he knew it too.

"Are you sure?" Jean asked, worried. Marco looked back at him, his gaze hardening, and he nodded.

"Yes."

"Then let's go," Jean said, crouching down and walking around the other side of the building with Marco.

"Wait here," the teen said, waving warningly back at him as he walked back in and began unlatching Jean's horse.

"What's taking you so long, freckle-face?" Levi asked, rounding the corner. "Worried about your boyfriend?" Marco's eyes went wide.

"H-he's not my b-boyfriend..." Marco stuttered, and Jean felt his blush grow.

"'Not my boyfriend' my ass Marco." Levi sighed, pressing his palm against his face, mumbling something about Marco being 'a dim-witted dipshit'. Marco's blush deepened as well, and he focused back on untying the knot.

"Listen; I'll give you some time to go find him later, I guess. For now, just focus on the training. Or, at least try to." Levi gestured behind him as he walked off, not intending on having any more conversation with Marco, but he wasn't so lucky.

"Sir?" Levi didn't stop walking as he muttered a quick 'what?'

"Uh... pardon me for asking, but..." He paused awkwardly.

"What... exactly... is your relationship with Eren Jäger?"

Levi froze.

"What makes you think you can ask me that question?" His voice was deadly but uncertain. Marco looked at the floor.

"W-well, he's my friend, so I thought-"

"Don't ever ask me that question again Bott. It is not your place to ask me about my personal relationships. Don't go trying to get that information out of Eren, either, or you might find your face full of horseshit. Understand?" Marco nodded, not looking up. Levi then swished out of the stables without another word.

"That man is scary," Jean whispered to Marco as he brought the horse around the other side, having successfully untied its lead.

"Yeah. I wonder what Eren sees in him," Jean said, climbing onto the horse, Marco jumped on behind him, grabbing the reins around Jean's slender body. He blushed all the way up to his ears.

"You really think they're in a relationship, and not... you know..." Marco asked uncomfortably.

"Yeah. I don't think Eren's the kind of person to let someone else take advantage of him, even someone like Levi. I don't think it's without consent, and I know that Eren can handle himself, so I think we should just forget what we saw," Jean surmised, tangling his hands in the horse's mane and leaning against its back.

"Yeah, I suppose."

Marco handed the reigns to Jean, leaning back on the horse and smiling. Jean grinned, a thought coming to him. He wrapped the leather around his arm comfortably, getting a good hold on the horse before speaking.

"Hey, you should really hold on. It's about to get bumpy." Jean snapped the reigns suddenly, urging the horse into a gallop before launching it into a full-on sprint. Marco squealed like a pig, reaching forwards and pressing his chest flush against Jean's back and wrapping his arms around him. He held on for dear life, his chin resting on Jean's shoulder.

"I warned you," Jean cackled, glancing over at Marco. The man's cheeks were on fire, his freckles the only part of his face untouched. Jean smiled inwardly, committing that face to memory.

"Y-you didn't have to do that!"

"But I wanted to!" Jean shouted back, laughing. Marco pouted.

"Whyyyy?" Jean's face went slack. Why did he want to do that? Originally, he thought it was just to tease Marco, but there was something about the way Marco felt against his back; the blazing, yet comfortable warmth, that made him want to urge the horse even faster. Jean looked down, speechless.

"I... I don't actually know." Marco lifted his face, looking Jean in the eyes without stopping. Then he smiled.

"Hehe~" Marco giggled, snuggling further into his back, and Jean felt his whole body tense.

"H-hey! What are you doing."

"You're cold, aren't you?"

"Y...yeah..."

"Then let me hug you! It'll keep you warm." Jean felt for sure he was missing something, and the way Marco's eyes seemed to light up when Jean told him he didn't know why he'd sped up the horse certainly didn't help his concern.

"O-okay..." Jean said dumbly, his eyes wide as they approached the dorm.

"GODDAMNIT!" Jean heard from the doorway, causing Marco to jerk upwards. Jean was disappointed in the lack of warmth but got over it quickly, instead focusing on the screaming squad leader before him.

"After all that work I MISSED it! That pisses me off!" Hange Zöe screamed, digging their hands into their hair and pulling it. They ran over to Jean, grabbing his arms and dragging him off the horse. Marco and Jean collectively whined in protest, an act that did not miss Hange. She chose to ignore it for the moment, however.

"How long were you a horse?" Jean frowned.

"I mean, how long did the serum last? How long were you a horse?" They screamed, shaking Jean. He groaned, pushing the terrifying person away.

"What the fuck?" both Marco and Jean asked. They stared at Hange like they were crazy, inching away from them. Hange had murder in their eyes, glaring at Marco before dragging Jean back over to them.

"I was never a horse-!" Jean squeaked as Hange started prodding his stomach with their hands. He shoved them away, a disgusted look on his face.

Hange was not amused.

"I'm a scientist, what do you expect?" Hange deadpanned, grabbing him again and turning him around. They looked at his back, running their hands over his shoulder blades, but Jean wasn't paying attention to them anymore.

"M-Marco? Are you okay?" He was walking away, fear in his eyes. The teen was mumbling to himself, his arms wrapped around his middle.

"I... he... the horse... confessed... he knows... " Jean could only make out a few words of what Marco was saying, but they didn't really help. They didn't exactly make much sense.

"Marco, what are you talking about?" Jean asked, worry in his tone. Marco looked up carefully.

"I-I have to go..." Marco said, turning back and jumping on Jean's horse.

"WAIT!" Jean shouted, pulling out of Hange's grip and running after him. He barely made it twenty feet before Hange caught up to him.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" They boomed, jumping and grabbing Jean's foot. He screeched, falling onto the grassy hilltop with a bang. Finally, his head hit the rock below him, and he looked up, memories flooding his brain.

Waking up as a horse in the dormitory.

Everyone screaming at him.

Marco helping him to the stables.

Jean gasped as the last memory surfaced.

Marco...

Jean jerked off the ground, running into the dormitory, locking the door, and sloppily throwing on his clothes. He then ran back out the door, ignoring Hange as they tried to grab him and study him some more.

"NOT THE TIME YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" he screamed at them, running towards the rest of the group.

"BUT I WANT TO STUDY YOU-HOU-HOUUUUUUU!" They whined, sobbing. Jean ignored them, racing towards the horse training area.

"Hey, it's Jean!"

"Where's he been?"

"J-Jean..." It was Marco. He stood off to the side, hiding behind Jean's horse. Jean frowned, turning back to Levi Heichou.

"Where the hell have you been? You've been missing for almost ten hours you fucking idiot!" Levi shouted, getting as in-your-face as he could, given the 15cm height difference. He then turned around, walking away from the man.

"You know what? I've decided I don't care. Go share your horse with Bott; he's been borrowing it since you disappeared yesterday." Marco visibly shuddered. Jean nodded, walking over to Marco resolutely.

"What's wrong, Marco?"

"You were, you were the horse... I..." Red flushed Marco's cheeks and he stared at the ground, embarrassed. Jean, however, wasn't confused anymore.

He remembered last night, having decided immediately it was worth the splitting headache that he had been cursed with upon his recollection.

"Marco, you don't need to feel embarrassed."

"I just... I screwed up... I... this is going to change everything, isn't it...?" He sobbed, but Jean laughed lightly.

"Maybe, but is that truly such a bad thing?" Marco frowned, looking up at Jean, but only momentarily. Fed up with the way Marco was acting, Jean reached below Marco's chin and tilted it up so he could lock eyes with him. Marco's eyes went wide, his breath leaving him as he tried to speak again.

"What do you-"

Marco never got to finish his sentence, but suddenly found he didn't mind. In fact, he much preferred what happened next over talking.

Jean kissed him, hard. Marco's lips were soft, warm, and Jean couldn't help the way his body seemed to melt as Marco wrapped his arms around him and drew him closer, moaning lightly. Jean smiled, tilting his head farther and kissing him deeper.

"What. The. FUCK."

Marco and Jean pulled away from each other immediately, quickly finding themselves the focus of everyone's attention. Both blushed deeply, glancing at each other with giddy smiles on their faces.

"Uhh... well..." Marco began, quickly interrupted by an overenthusiastic Sasha.

"OHMYGODMYOTPAREFINALLYTOGETHER!" she screamed, jumping on them both and hugging them. The two laughed, sharing confused smiles, but found the mood in the group had changed quickly. Everyone crowded around them.

Well, except Eren and Levi.

As soon as Marco and Jean had kissed, Eren had dragged Levi to the other side of the building as was kissing the living hell out of him. They figured everyone would be too busy to notice, but once everyone got over the fact that Marco and Jean were together, the group had begun to wonder where the that two had run off were.

Finding them had been easy. Comprehending what they saw hadn't been.

"Sooo... at this point, is it safe to assume everyone is gay?" Murmurs of agreement filled the camp, but Marco and Jean didn't care. Jean merely reached out his hand and gripped Marco's, smiling at him as he kissed him gently.

Both Jean and Marco knew that the likelihood of surviving this war was slim, but at this point, they didn't care, for one thing was certain.

Their bodies may not last forever, but their love sure would.

Fin.


End file.
